Central Highlands Community Legal Centre takes steps in responding to family violence and is also actively involved in working towards the prevention of family violence. We receive State funding to provide a Family Violence Intervention Order Duty Lawyer Service at Ballarat Magistrate’s Court twice per week. Duty Lawyers perform a number of functions including legal advice, negotiation, police liaison and representation. Our lawyers engaged in over 500 cases over the 2015/2016 period, including court representations.
In late 2015 CHCLC received two grants from the Department of Justice and Regulation to enhance existing family violence services in the region, one being the introduction of a Duty Lawyer service to Ararat and Stawell Courts (the second being Financial Counselling). This service enables residents in smaller areas to also obtain adequate access to justice.
More information about the Ararat and Stawell program can be found on the Outreach page.